598 Á VOYAGE TO Book IX. 



a number of fmall Mack birds, flying finglv, and 

 againf!: the current of the water. On the 15th, the 

 weather being fair, but the wind blowing frcih at W. 

 S. W. we faw a Q^iebrantahut- íTos, or oiTifrage ; and 

 on the 16th, being in the latitude of 44°, 31', and 

 3 1°, 24', wTÍt of the meridian of Conception, we 

 iaw fevcral flights of Curlews and Fárdelas ; and the 

 QiiebrantahueiTos kept continually in fight of the Ihip: 

 foon after the wind came about to the S. \V. and 

 blew fo ilrorg, that the frigates were obliged to hand 

 all their fails except their courfes. On the 18th the 

 wind abated, the fea, which ran exceeding high, 

 became tolerably fmooth, and the Qucbrantahueilbs 

 cifappeaied at tlie beginning of this welcome change 

 of weather. 



From the i8th to the 16th our courfe was eaft, 

 one quarter f(n)rherly, and S. E. one quarter eafterly; 

 the winds being variable between the S. S. W. and 

 W. S. W. with fome ihoit trarfitions to N. W. 

 From the 2 6th to the 3d of March we fleered E. S. F. 

 and E. with the fame winds, but fo very variable, 

 rhat from W. they ibifted to the S. W. and fiom 

 therxe Sew about to the E. fo that in this interval 

 they blew from every point of the compafs, but rarely 

 continued a fingle day in one dircdion. Sometimes 

 for three or four hours we had a freih gale, this loon 

 ,died away, and was often fucceeded by calms, being 

 regular only in inconltancy. . ' 



On the 20th of February we had a ftrong gale of 

 wind at VV. S. W. which obliged us to double reef our 

 topfails. We were then ia 48°, 2', latitude. On 

 ih.e 21ft the wind abated, and continued fo all the 

 morning with an ea(y {c3. At noon the wind fiefh- 

 ened, and a ilorni came on at W N. W. W. and W. 

 S. W. that we could carry only our reefed courfes. 

 The ftorm continued till the, 23d about fun- let, when 

 we let out the reefs in our coiMÍ'es, and fet our top- 

 U'llb, after reefing them. During the whcle time we 



had 



